A Day in My Life
by grka
Summary: Two days in Andrew's life


Hello Everybody,  
  
since it got in that list a little bit silence, I thought I should send you one of Anna's and mine stories. We both wrote it together and we hope you will like it. A special Thank you to our beloved Beta Reader Leigh, who we give a really hard time with the tons of stories we both write :-)) She is doing a really wonderful job!!! Thank you!!!  
  
Okay, have fun with the reading and .... we love some feedback ;-)))  
  
Hugs,  
Grit  
  
Disclaimer: Like it always will be: We don't own Andrew and Tess! :-(((((  
  
A Day in My Life   
  
by Anna Hulterstroem and Grit Kaerst  
  
My name is Andrew. I've been an angel for a looong, looong time.   
  
There are a lot of different kinds of angels. There are angels in Search & Rescue, Guardian Angels, Warrior Angels and so on.   
  
I was already a Guardian Angel and a Caseworker in the past. At the moment, I'm an Angel of Death. I have done this job for over 100 years now and it's my favourite job so far.   
  
I know what most humans think now, when they read this. But Tess, my friend and sometimes boss, told me to tell you about one or two *normal* days of my life. Maybe the image that you have about angels like me will be changed when I'm finished with this. So let's start:   
  
What day should I pick? It is not that I have forgotten my earliest days as an Angel of Death - we angels have a very good memory - there are just so many to choose from. So I have decided to tell you about two recent days in July.   
  
I received the call for a new assignment five seconds after midnight. A heat wave had struck central and southern Europe and it took its toll on elderly people. Old Renata was a dear old lady. She had lived a long life. Now she welcomed me with open arms. She had had a hard life, but there had also been many moments of happiness. Three sons, two daughters and fourteen grandchildren were her joy. She was more than ready to go home to God. When I took her hand and led her into the light her whole face lit up in one big smile and, filled with joy, she hugged me. It is moments like these that make me feel so privileged.   
  
My next case was a car crash victim. He had driven too fast on a narrow road on his way home from the pub. I stood by his side through surgery and in the recovery room. It is not every time that my assignment dies when I show up. We Angels of Death are always sent out to be there for people who for one reason or another are close to death, but that doesn't mean they will die. Just as we are there to help a person through death, so also are we there to keep the spark - the will to live - alive, if possible. This man was very troubled. He felt himself a complete failure, just because he had never succeeded in giving his family what he wanted to give them. We angels must at all times respect people's own will, but we can show them the alternatives. Now I did my best to show this man how much he was loved, by his family and his friends, and how much he was respected. That he was respected, not for the money he had, but because he was a hard working, honest man. It was a long night, but when he saw his wife's tears and heard her tell him how much she loved him, his will to live came back. It was with great relief, that I prayed for their continued life together. He was going to live   
  
Even though we angels, as beings of heaven, are beyond time. Time is still important to Angels of Death. There is a time for all creatures born to this earth to die, and we must be there. Therefore I carry a watch in my pocket. I, just as all my fellow angels, rejoice in God's work and revere life as the most precious gift that God has given mankind. The hardest part of being an Angel of Death is therefore when this gift is abused. It is hard to stand by watching a suicide, not being able to interfere, but it is harder still to watch a murder - especially of children.   
  
My next assignment took me to a small town in middle Sweden. I was not told what to expect only to be there and wait. I watched three young girls as they laughingly went to the swimming place by the river. A child always knows how to enjoy God's gifts. Then the happy peaceful scene was drastically changed. A man armed with a carving knife lunged out at the youngest of the three girls and managed to cut her several times. Then the oldest girl jumped on the man, thus allowing the young girl to escape. I knew now that the young girl was the older girl's sister. I also knew that the man was mentally ill - he didn't know what he was doing. I saw the wounded girl run away with the third girl as the man grabbed the sister. Amanda never had a chance. All I could do was to stay with her as the man held her under water until it was time for me to take her home. She still trembled as I took her in my arms, but when we walked into the light and she felt God's love she hugged me and kissed me. Then she ran to the Father. It is hard to watch tragedies as these, but I still gladly do it because they need me and it is a great joy to me to bring them to the Father.   
  
***   
  
The day went by with some *usual* assignments. People who had completed their whole lives and couldn't wait to go Home where their family was waiting for them. I love this kind of assignment , because these people welcoming me without any fear. There is just love and joy. At least, for most of them.   
  
It was almost lunchtime when the Father told me that my next assignment wouldn't be before 1 o'clock. This meant that I had almost one hour free. So I decided to visit a friend of mine. His name is Tommy, a seven year old boy, who has Leukemia. He has been fighting against this terrible illness for almost two years now and he has gotten close to death more than once. I was often assigned to him, to stay with him just in case. Children will always have a special place in my heart, whether I'm their Angel of Death or just a friend. Well, Tommy is a really special boy. He could sense my presence in the moment when I entered his hospital room. At first he was afraid of me, but it didn't take me long to make him realize that there is nothing he has to fear. . We talked, joked and laughed a lot when I was with him. He also wanted me to tell him everything about God, heaven, angels, and also about death and dying. Tommy has been back in the hospital since one week ago. I don't know if he will ever recover, but he has a strong, amazing will to live and so I have have high hopes that he will make it. I had to promise him, that I would show up from time to time to see how he was doing, when I left him the first time. And since then, I use my free time to visit him.   
  
When it got to 1 o'clock, I had to leave Tommy. The Father sent me to a young girl about 16 years old who wanted to commit suicide. I don't think that I will ever understand how humans can give up on their life, instead of trusting in God, who wants so much to help them. All they would need to do is ask ) Him for help. Well, like I already told you, humans have free will and all I could do was stand there and pray that she would change her mind. Sometimes, it helps, sometimes people like Sophie, listen to the voice inside of them. It's the voice of the Father who tells them that He still loves them and they should trust Him. But some people don't listen to that voice, and neither did Sophie. She took the sleeping pills and it didn't take long until they worked in her system. When Sophie woke up and saw me, she realized what had just happened. I could see fear and panic in her eyes, but I saw also regret in them. I walked over to her bed where she was sitting and silently crying. She asked me if I was an angel and when I answered 'Yes, I am', she asked me if there was really a God. I put my arm around her shoulder when I sat down beside her and answered this question also with 'Yes, there is a God and He loves you'. I remember how Sophie fell against my shoulder and cried hard. She told me over and over again, how sorry she was for what she did. She told me, that she lost her faith when her mother died last year. All she wanted was to erase the pain inside of her. Her dad started to drunk and started to abuse, shortly after the death of her mom. She told me how often she prayed to God to help her, but it seemed to her that He didn't listen. She was so afraid to face Him then, because she was too ashamed of what she had done , especially after I showed her HOW He tried to help her, but she didn't realize it then. We sat in her room for almost one hour. I let her cry in my arms and told her that God knows how she felt and why she did it, and that He still loved her, even though He wasn't happy about what she did. It was a hard assignment to me. Life is the greatest gift of all and nobody should put it so simple away. It hurts God so much to see one of His children to do something like this, but He will always welcome them in his loving arms.   
  
It can be hard for us angels to understand human actions sometimes and all we can do in such a situation is to let God's love and compassion flow through us to the human in need. A suicide is such a situation. Another situation is violence.   
  
My next assignment took me right into such a situation. I was sent across the time zones to a busy morning East Coast United States. At first I was not sure of what to expect, all I knew was that I needed to be at a specific street corner at a specific time. People were bustling by trying to get to work on time, school kids hurrying to reach class before the bell. Time is a two edged sword in the human world. All the noises of the city were clamoring around me. I have seen movies where the film director shows important scenes in slow motion, attempting to convey the feeling that time has slowed down. Sometimes real life can be like that. In the middle of all this morning bustle, one lone car slowly came cruising down the street. A window was pulled down and I could see a gun catching the rays of the morning sun. The shot rang out. Before the car with screeching tires had disappeared round the corner, I was with the victim. He was just a young boy on his way to school. Why would someone want to kill a ten-year old boy? I held Jimmy in my arms as he died, before any human help could reach him. It had happened so fast that he was still surprised and at first unaware of what had happened. After I had told him, he asked me 'why'. I could not answer ... all I could do was to leave him in the Father's arms where I know he is safe and happy.   
  
The Father immediately sent me back to the same city. This time I was sent to the Freeway. A car chase was heading my way. They were driving so fast, that it was not until the car crashed that I saw that it was the same car from the drive-by shooting. The car smashed into a lamppost. The driver who used a seatbelt was only lightly injured. It was the passenger - the man with the gun - who was my assignment. He had been thrown clear of the car wreck and was now lying several yards away on the embankment. He was so frightened when he saw me. It is not easy to do my job when people are as frightened as he was. I tried to talk to him; tell him that God loves him and was willing to forgive him. He asked God to forgive him just before he died, but he was still afraid as we walked home. It was not until the Father embraced him that he finally could accept forgiveness and receive peace.   
  
***   
  
It didn't take long before I got my next assignment. I was sent back to Europe and this time to Germany. It was already 6 p.m. when I arrived at the hospital. I didn't know who my next assignment would be, all I did know was that it would be a friend of mine. You see, I have found a lot of human friends in my time. Most of them were my assignments as an Angel of Death or as Caseworker in the past. From time to time, I get the chance to visit them, like Tommy. I love to have human friends also, but it's also makes my job harder. Sooner or later, I don't just come to visit them. It's not that I have a problem bringing them home ... I know where they are going, that they are going to a beautiful place ... I have a problem with seeing some of them suffer. Don't get me wrong, it ALWAYS breaks my heart, when I have to watch someone suffer, but it's a lot harder when it's a friend you have known for a long time.   
  
The Father led me to a room at the end of the third floor. I still didn't know who my assignment was, but I should find it out soon. When I opened the door, I could see a still form lying in the bed. I walked inside and stopped right away. The person was a young woman and as she turned her head to look at me, I saw that it was Jeannette.   
  
It was 7 years ago, that I took her brother, Marcel, home. I was her brother's male nurse then. He and Jeannette were my assignments and their mother was Monica's. She managed a thin smile when she saw me and told me that she already was wondering when I would show up. Jeanette had tried to help a woman who got attacked by a man. The woman could flee and call the police, but the man used the time, until the police appeared, to injure Jeannette with his knife. The police found the man and put him into jail, but Jeannette's wounds were really serious. The Father told me that I should stay with her until it was time for her to come Home. Jeannette trusted and loved God so much and, since she knew me, she wasn't afraid of what was going to happen. She told me with a weak smile, that she somehow already knew that morning, that she would get in serious danger that day. I asked her why she did what she did, why she didn't go to get help instead of jumping right into this situation. She told me that she had the feeling that this was the way in which it should happen. The police told her that the woman was pregnant and she would have lost her baby for sure if the man had injured her instead of Jeannette. She told me that she knew that God was with her in that moment. One week ago, she had gotten the news that she had a brain tumor and that she was going to die. Jeannette told God, that she would like to do something that mattered before she had to leave this earth, like saving a life or something like that . Jeannette was sure that this was somehow His answer to her request. Tears flowed down my face when Jeannette finished her story. It was as if the whole thing was harder for me than for her. Jeannette reminded me of something important, that I had almost forgotten: that God has a plan and that He can use EVERY bad situation to create something beautiful. Jeannette was going to die because of the cancer sooner or later, but He used her to safe a life, maybe two.   
  
I stayed with her until shortly after midnight, when it was time for us to leave. I had to tell her the whole time how her brother was doing and she told me how happy she was that I was with her like I had been with her brother then. You should have seen her joy and excitement when we walked toward the light, and later as the Father took her in His arms and told her how much He loved her and how proud He was for what she did. Jeannette also met her brother who had passed away, 7 years ago. They both are happy and safe now.   
  
Jeannette was my last assignment that day. We angels don't need any sleep, at least not when we aren't in human form. We can use the time we have free for what ever we want. And the Father told me that night that I would be free until 8 o'clock the next morning.   
  
So, this was one of the two days I promised you to tell you about. Do you still think I'm a scary, spooky and cruel creature? I really hope not, but let me tell you about another *usual* day!   
  
***********   
My respite was not as long as it sounds, well not on earth. I still had all the time I needed to spend with Jeanette and her brother in heaven, but I was sent to Australia for eight o'clock the following morning. I was sent to an apartment in Melbourne that was inhabited by a single mother and her three children. The children were three, five and eight years old. Just as the mother were about to leave the apartment the phone rang. It was the babysitter. She was not feeling too well and couldn't come. This troubled the mother because she didn't want to leave her children alone, but she also needed to go to work that day. The oldest of her children, Sarah, promised her mother to take care of her little brother and sister. I was wondering what I had there to do, but I was told to stay and wait. About thirty minutes after the mother had left I began to smell fire. Soon the children could smell it too. They tried to open the front door, but the hallway was already filled with fire and smoke. It was with a sinking heart that I understood what I was supposed to do. The frightened children sought cover together in the bedroom closet. There they sat close together. Soon they were unconscious. They were only minutes away from death when a fire-fighter came upon them. It was too soon for me to breathe with relief, but at least their chances had improved. I stayed by their side to the hospital. It was the oldest, Sarah, who had sustained the gravest injuries. It was she who had opened the door and, even if it was just for a brief moment, she had nevertheless been exposed to the toxic fumes and the heat out there. The children were kept together so I had no problem covering all three, but after a few hours it became clear that the other two children were going to make it. Their mother had rushed to the hospital to be with her children. Her anguish was the hardest for me to watch. My prayers went out for her while I sat watching over Sarah. In spite of everything I had to smile when I saw the nurse that had just entered the room, it was Tess. With Tess by her side, the mother would have the best help the Father could send. It was getting close for Sarah. I sat down by her side, stroked her cheek and called her name. It may be hard for us Angels of Death to watch a child suffer, but children are also the easiest to take home. They are still unspoiled by the world and their minds are open. She knew I was an angel and she smiled when she saw me. She got troubled when she saw her mother, but I explained to her that they would one day all be together again. But right now it was her time to go home to the Father. Sarah asked me who would look after her mother and I showed her Tess and told her that God was looking after both her mother and her brother and sister. This made Sarah happy, but she went up to Tess and asked her to take good care of her mother. Then she practically ran into the light.   
  
***   
  
After I took Sarah Home, I had some time to show her everything in heaven. She was the first one of her family, at least the family she knew, and so she felt a little bit alone. But it didn't take long until she found new friends and met her grandparents for the first time in her life.   
  
After I left Sarah, I was sent to London. I stood in front of a bank and the Father told me to wait inside. I could guess a little of what was going to happen and I didn't like it. When I entered the bank, I stopped immediately as I recognized a familiar face. It was Mary, a woman whom I met 6 years ago. She was 30 years old then and had given up on her life. She had lost her job and had had enormous debts. Tess, Monica and I were assigned to her, then. I met her when she tried to commit suicide. She was found by a friend of hers just in time, . Mary recognized me too, when I entered the room. Usually, humans can't see us Angels of Death when we are in angelic form, at least as so long as they aren't dying, but Mary could see me this time. We both had the same thought. I could see it in her face when she walked over to me. She asked me what was wrong, but before I could tell her that I wasn't sure, three men with masks over their faces entered the bank. All three had weapons and shot in the air. They commanded everyone to lie down on the floor. Before Mary lie down too, she gave me a look that asked me if I were there for her. All I could do was to tell her that I didn't know. Mary was so afraid, that she wouldn't see her family again. I knelt down beside her and told her that she shouldn't be afraid and that she should trust God. There was another woman, who was so much more afraid than Mary was. She cried the whole time and was panic-stricken. In that moment, I knew WHO my assignment was. I walked over to her and tried to calm her down. I stroked her back and spoke to her spirit. I knew what she was planing and what the consequences would be, but she was too afraid to realize the consequences. In a moment when the bank robbers looked away, she jumped up and ran toward the door. One of the robbers turned around and took aim on her. Mary cried and jumped up too. She ran toward that woman and came under fire in the same moment when the man fired.   
  
The bullet hit her instead that other woman. Mary fell to the floor. She lost a lot of blood and was in shock. The bullet had hit her stomach. As soon as I appeared at her side, she looked at me and asked me how the other woman was doing. I told her that she was fine, that Mary had saved her life. The men ran away after this had happened, but they ran directly into the arms of the police who arrived at the scene of the crime. I held Mary in my arms. Mary told me that she wasn't afraid of dying, but she was afraid of what would happen to her family. I told her that she should hold on and fight. I told her too that she still had a chance to survive, if she would fight and not give up. The ambulance brought her to the hospital. The doctors took her into an emergency surgery and it took her 4 weeks to recover, but she made it. I stayed with her the whole way to the hospital and through the surgery until it was clear that she would survive. It was shortly after lunchtime, when the Father told me that she would make it and gave me a new assignment.   
  
***********   
  
Nothing makes me happier than when a young person gets a second chance at life. But I know that that cannot always happen. I also know how happy they all are when I take them Home. My new assignment took me to a suburban semi-detached home that is so typical of English housing. At home were a mother, Brenda, and her two young children George and Samantha. No one could help noticing that Brenda was pregnant, and I could not help wondering whom I had been sent for. That was when Brenda's contractions started. With that I also knew that Brenda was my assignment. Brenda had to take a cab to the hospital. Her husband's work place was too far away for him to make it home in time. It was a tough labour. At one point I was wondering if I was there for Brenda or the baby. But five long hours later a healthy baby girl was born. Brenda was very weak, I knew that I had to stay by her side. I had been praying for Brenda and her child all the time and I had done whatever I could to give Brenda that extra strength she needed to pull through. Her new daughter was going to live, there was no doubt about that any more, and I thanked the Father for the miracle that a new child is. Two hours later Brenda started to hemorrhage again. Often in cases like this the mother's will to live is so strong that they will pull through, but Brenda was tired. She was so tired that she welcomed me with open arms. Her husband was a good dad, she knew that her children were in good hands. She asked me about her baby and was satisfied with knowing that it was a healthy baby girl. I don't like to see the separation of a mother and child like this, but then there are many things that I don't like to see in this job. I gladly do my job anyway, because I know that in all pain, blood, fear and tears people need me. I am God's messenger bringing love, hope and comfort in death. That's why I love this job and will continue to be an Angel of Death for as long as God wants me to.   
  
While I was at this hospital I took the time to see another of my young friends. Her name is Geraldine and she has a congenital heart defect. I have been by her side many times, and now she was in hospital to have yet another heart surgery. Geraldine was happy to see me, and I was happy to see her. She was in very good spirits and I had no doubt that she would make it through this surgery too - which she did. If all goes well, this surgery would mean a long a healthy life for Geraldine   
  
****   
  
My last assignment was going to be back in Germany. It was already dark when the Father told me where I was needed. I stood in a field at the side of a dark country road and on the other side of the road was a forest. It was so dark, that you couldn't see anything other than the lights of the few cars that drove along the road. It was a new moon so there wasn't even moonlight that night. The Father told me to wait near a sharp bend. It didn't take long before a car came down the road. I could see that the driver drove too fast and, in the moment when he was right in the middle of the bend, a deer jumped on to the carriageway. The driver tried to stop, but the car started to slide and got off the road into the field. It remained lying on the roof. I walked over to the car. The driver, a woman in the mid-twenties lay beside the car. Her name was Denise. Somehow she had managed to open her seat belt and get out of the car. I knelt down by her side. She looked at me and pleaded for me to help her. At first, she thought I was a driver who had seen the accident. I told her, that I was there to help her, but not in the way she expected. I told her that I was an angel sent by God. Denise asked me why I wouldn't go to get help, if I were an angel. I know it's hard to understand, why God sends an angel that only stands by and doesn't do anything to help. Sometimes, it's hard to understand for us angels, too. When I told her that I was her Angel of Death, that I was sent to bring her Home, I could see how panic and fear rose up inside of her. Denise pleaded with me to let her live, that she didn't want to die. And all I could do was to tell her that I had no influence over anything and that it wasn't up to me to decide this. These are some of the hardest things to explain to someone who is dying. Most people think that we Angels of Death decide when, where and how someone has to leave this world, but it doesn't work this way. Only God decides these things and all we can do is to trust Him that He knows what He is doing. And I'll tell you something: He KNOWS it! But let us get back to Denise. I told her how much God loved her and that she shouldn't be afraid of what was going to happen to her. I promised her that I would stay with her until it was time for her to go Home, that we would walk together toward heaven and that God would take care of her family. I held her hand and stroked her hair and cheek the whole time. We both prayed that one of the drivers on the road would stop and help, but nobody did. I also told her how beautiful heaven and journey there would be. . Denise calmed down a little bit and asked me if she would see her brother there. He died some years ago of cancer. I could answer that question with a big smile on my face. It made her more comfortable with the thought of dying. Four hours later, it was time for her to go. You should have seen Denise's joy when she met God, when he took her in His arms to welcome her and later when she met her brother.   
  
So, these were two days in my life as an Angel of Death. There are a lot of more stories I could tell you, but this would take too long to write down or for you to read. Maybe I will tell you some more stories when I will be sent to you one day.   
  
I hope that some of the things I told you here have changed your perceptions about us Angels of Death and that you will be a little bit less fearful when you time to go Home arrives.   
  
There are only three things I want you to always keep in your mind, before I leave you: God LOVES you! You are NEVER alone, especially in death! And Death is nothing you have to fear!   
  
God bless,   
Andrew   



End file.
